The background of the emergence of primitive agriculture
Thirteen thousand years ago, the last ice age ended, and the global climate gradually warmed. Climate change provides conditions for the growth of various edible plants. The proportion of plant food in human food is increasing gradually, and gathering plays an increasingly important role in human life. In the late Paleolithic period, the miniaturization of stone tools, especially the appearance of grinding discs and rods, was a reflection of this situation.
The emergence of primitive agriculture
About 1 1000 years ago, the earth experienced an obvious cooling. By about 10 thousand years ago, the climate was getting warmer. Since then, the global temperature has continued to rise, reaching its peak by 6000 years ago. The warming of climate and the development of edible plant gathering industry have laid the foundation for the emergence of plant cultivation. The specific process is: from the discovery and utilization of wild plants, to the attention and management of them, and finally to the cultivation of crops such as rice and millet, from which primitive agriculture came into being. According to the current information, the emergence of plant cultivation in southern China may be close to 6,543,800 years ago. It should be pointed out that not only rice, millet and other crops have been cultivated, but the earliest cultivated plants in some areas may be nuts or tuber plants such as walnuts and millet.
The appearance of primitive agriculture and pottery and grinding stone tools.
Archaeological findings in the south of China show that the appearance of primitive agriculture and pottery is generally synchronized with the appearance of grinded stone tools. There should be some connection between them. The appearance of pottery should be related to the change of natural environment, and more directly, it may be related to the change of people's food structure, that is, the increase of the proportion of plant food in people's diet, and the resulting changes in cooking methods and the demand for stored food. In addition, the appearance of pottery is also related to people's settled life, which is based on the premise that the food source is guaranteed, and the food source depends on the warming of the natural environment and the increase of the supply of edible plants. Therefore, it can be said that the emergence of agriculture is the result of the warming of the natural environment, the increase of edible plants, the gathering activities and the development of settlement life, and also the result of human utilization and transformation of nature.
Influence of agricultural development on ecological environment
The appearance of grinding stone tools is related to the increasing demand for people to cut down forests and build houses. On the one hand, the purpose of deforestation is to build houses, and more importantly, it is related to the land reclamation necessary for farming agriculture. The emergence and development of agriculture led to the deforestation of a large area, which in turn led to changes in the ecological environment. Later, cutting down trees on a large scale to meet the fuel demand of metal manufacturing industry was another great destruction to the ecological environment.
The relationship between prehistoric agricultural development and natural environment
8,000-6,000 years ago, agriculture in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Yellow River in China developed greatly. This should be closely related to the warm and humid climate here, which is suitable for crop growth. With the development of agriculture, animal husbandry with pigs as the main target has also developed. The society at that time was basically an equal clan society. At the same time, human civilization has made great progress in religious belief and art.
The development and change of social structure and its relationship with natural environment
From 5,500 to 4,000 years ago, in western Liaoning, the Yellow River basin and the Yangtze River basin, the development of culture and social progress reached a new stage: the social class division was intensified day by day, the hierarchical system was gradually established, the dignitaries mastered the power of the tribe, and the competition among regional groups was increasingly fierce. At the same time, city sites and memorial sites that consume a lot of manpower and material resources have appeared in various places. This reflects that the authority of the team leader in mobilizing the human and material resources of the organization is increasing. The arrival of this new stage is based on the warming of the environment in the previous stage and the resulting agricultural development. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that the development of productive forces is the foundation of social development.
Credibility of floods in Yao, Shun and Yu Dynasties and its influence on human life in the Yellow River Basin
In the pre-Qin literature, records about Yao Shunyu's water control and Yu's water control are common. However, there are many arguments about its credibility. In 2002, it was discovered that the Xi Palace was made in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The inscription clearly describes the story of Yu's water control. It shows that during the Western Zhou Dynasty, the legend of Dayu's water control was widely circulated among the people. In recent years, traces of the Yellow River flood have been found in sites in the late Longshan period, such as Minhejia in Qinghai and Xiangfen Taosi in Shanxi. The former also found signs of an earthquake. Taosi site is located in the legendary Yao activity area. Here, archaeology discovered a huge city site with an area of over 2.8 million square meters. Its age is about 4300 years ago. There are signs that the ruins of this city were destroyed by floods and then rebuilt. The construction of such a large-scale city obviously cannot rely solely on the members of a tribe. It should be the result of the concerted efforts of Qi Xin, a member of Qixin, an influential regional group. Reflected the social structure at that time from one side. According to the latest archaeological data, functional zoning has appeared in the city. In addition, among the cemeteries found in the city, the gap between large, medium and small tombs in scale, availability, quantity and quality of funerary objects has been quite wide, which shows that the society at that time was no longer an equal primitive society, but entered a new stage, and it has become a complex society with distinct levels, and preliminary kingship and state have emerged.